Nakedgun

From this morning: 2% illuminated waning crescent Moon and Mercury. Had quite a weekend, observing-wise.

Indeed it is. Astro Sky structure made by James Grigar, Lake Charles, Louisiana & excellent 12.5 f/5 primary by John Stevens, Portland, Oregon. Both date from early 2006. .

Tracked and confirmed Pluto over the last two nights through the 12.5" dob, the 10" no longer a viable option from my backyard. Then, set up a 90mm refractor on a Meade LX-70 with RA drive to observe: Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Venus, the Moon & Mercury. First time all were seen, by me, on the same night (morning). Last item to put away. .

Thank you, didn't see that. Reminds me of the film score for "Forbidden Planet" at higher speed. .

How do you play the audio portion?

Particularly when you make reasonable preparations: A little Earthshine thrown in: Now with Mercury just above the palms: .

Atmospheric conditions today, not to mention the mountains west of me, had me convinced I would see nothing before it dropped out of sight, so I grudgingly stepped out and scanned the ridgeline with binoculars while taking out the trash. Stunned, I hastily grabbed a camera I keep in the Tundra and managed only this noisy image: Aged 30h : 42m. Nothing quite like a missed opportunity! .

>Non-astro< Just got this leveling base for attachment to this gimbal, which should aid attaining a more rapid level, when needed: .

Produced from 1984 to 2005, this excellent-condition teleconverter arrived today. I have owned the 2x version since the mid-90s, when I left Canon for Pentax. . .

Use purposes for the viewers of this website are, naturally, night sky observation, where aperture is of paramount importance. However, for general daylight binocular observing I can recommend this modestly priced Kowa model, available in 6x or 8x variety, 30mm objective (now mfd with green rubber armoring). At their price-point they are excellent, in my view: .

The World Famous Pocket Borg: 25mm f/7 achromatic doublet, focus achieved by sliding the objective assembly. A novelty, but not a toy. It struggles a bit on deep sky.... .

Tele Vue... ...& VERNONscope dielectrics: .

>Non-astro< Produced from 1987 to 1991 this F-series lens arrived working flawlessly: I'm not a collector, but the SMC Pentax F-series would be a nice set to have. .

Meade 114mm Newt on a flimsy GEM which I struggled with until finally giving it away and moving on to better things. No photo.

This story sounds all-too-familiar at this time. A clear indication the future looks very dim, indeed. .

The Lubyanka breakfast too good for 'em, I say!

Really? I've been satisfied with these products for more than 20 years: https://www.kowaoptic.com/ .

This morning I watched this launch from my driveway as it cleared the hills west of me and tracked SSE, following it with a spotting scope till disappearing below a neighbor's roofline: .

Non-astro delivery yesterday. Recent release from Pentax, full-frame 21mm Limited lens: First image with it: .

Hmm, need? That is difficult to assess because it gets easily mixed up with want. In my case I suppose it is 15 (astronomical-type) since that is how many I have just now. I think reason is (finally) beginning to prevail over emotion, as recently I've become much more resolute in entertaining the idea that there will be no more refractors delivered here, that it really is time to stop, that I need no more. OK, then, that's better, pleasant thoughts now... .

I had one of their smaller capacity mounts several years back, yours is considerably more robust. Let us know your thoughts once you've had time under your belt with it.

Mid-90s I struggled with my first scope - a Meade 4.5" Newtonian on a wobbly GEM complete with indecipherable instructions. I gave up on it by the late 90s and bought a real scope, the Intes MK-67 imported by Orion (California). They came painted black, and were quite good, optically. I mounted it on a Manfrotto tripod with mini geared head and it served me well. If I have a photo a search will be necessary to uncover it.

I have found their tripod and ball-head products an excellent value for price. My wife and I use them for photographic purposes. Good luck.

I've toyed with the idea of owning this scope ever since looking through Al Nagler's at RTMC (now defunct, alas), and it may yet happen. Congratulations!

>Non-astro related< Although, it should be great for wide-field MW shots. Went on sale ($150 off), so I bought it ahead of the Pentax K-3iii I'm planning to buy, and use it with, before Christmas, disasters notwithstanding. .